Tim followed Malachi though Mossad into a big, beautifully furnished office. He saw a man with grayed hair sitting at the desk. He could only guess it was Eli David.

"Timothy McGee, sir," Malachi said.

"Thank you. You can go," Eli told him.

Malachi nodded and then left.

Eli gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat, Agent McGee."

Tim immediately sat down. "Thank you for agreeing to see me, Director David."

"I must say I was surprised when Ziva told me you were coming my way," Eli said.

"So was I. The decision to come to Israel was last minute," Tim said. The idea hadn't really come to him until he was on his way to the airport. That had been when he contacted Ziva that final time.

"Hmm. What I mean is I was surprised because I was one to send the evidence to your government condemning you, per Ziva's request," Eli said.

"Well, Ziva only did that because I asked her to. She would've preferred I wait and try to find a better outcome," Tim said.

"Yes, she mentioned that too. I have to tell you, I haven't decided yet whether or not I'm going to hand you over to your government," Eli told him.

Tim showed no reaction. He wasn't too surprised to hear it actually. Mossad and NCIS had good relations. Director David wouldn't ruin that on a whim. Tim knew he was taking a risk by coming here.

"The only reason I even agreed to see you is because frankly you intrigue me. You're the only member of Agent Gibbs' team I hadn't met," Eli said.

"I don't work for Gibbs anymore. I left that disaster over a year ago and I never looked back," Tim said.

"And that's what's so intriguing. From what I've heard, before you, not many had willingly left his command before. And from the way Ziva speaks of you, I know she has some regrets. That and your body language tell me that you left under less than ideal circumstances," Eli said.

Tim shifted uncomfortably. As much as he liked to believe he was over it, the truth was he still had a lot of issues with his former team and how they treated him. "With all due respect, sir, I didn't come here to discuss the dynamic of my former team."

"Fair enough. So convince me not to report you to Leon right now," Eli said.

"I guess Ziva's word that I'm innocent won't be enough. Understandable. I'm sure you didn't get to where you are by taking people by their words, even if they are your daughter. I can't really prove that I'm innocent of the crime I've been accused of. If I could, I wouldn't need to be here. But if I were guilty, it would hardly be logical for me to have worked so hard to exonerate the person I supposedly set up," Tim said.

Eli nodded. "You make a good point, however, I get the feeling you are an experienced liar. It could've been part of your plan."

Tim chuckled. "An experienced liar. That's a sentence I never thought I'd ever hear used to describe me. Up until a year and a half ago, I was a terrible liar. Becoming an experienced liar was a skill I was taught when I joined my unit. And you're right when you say I could've planned this whole thing. But if I had, I would've planned it a lot better. I can assure you, I would not have been caught."

Eli laughed. "You are something else. Most would try to convince me that my idea of this being a diabolical plan was farfetched. You just say you would've done it better."

"Well, it's true. I wouldn't have been stupid enough to leave a paper trail if it really was my doing. And I certainly wouldn't allow evidence leading to my guilt to be sent," Tim said.

"Let's say I believe all this for a minute. What is it that you hoped to gain by coming here?" Eli asked.

"Trent Kort. Ever hear of him?" Tim asked.

Eli nodded. "An agent in the American CIA. I've never dealt with him, but I know of him. From what I gathered, he is a bit shady and more than a bit arrogant."

"Yeah, that's Kort. The man is all arrogance. It's his biggest flaw," Tim said.

Eli chuckled. "This coming from the man who boasted about his skills not two minutes ago."

"That wasn't boasting, it was stating facts. Yes, I am arrogant to a point, but my arrogance is backed up by the work I've done. I'm not so arrogant that I can't see someone better than me, like Kort is. Anyway, I believe that Kort is responsible for setting up both my colleague and myself. I believe that he is the one responsible for betraying my country."

"Do you have proof?"

"No. But I'll find it. There's no way he's getting away with this. I will prove he did this and make him pay. And Kort has given me the means to do it," Tim said smiling.

Eli raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"From the moment I realized it was Kort that came after my team, I had made up my mind to stop him once and for all. Kort made it easier by setting me up. You see, I'm a traitor now. If I'm found, I'll be arrested and jailed until my government decided whether or not they're going to send me to some country to be tortured and killed, or if they're just going to execute me outright. I have nothing left to lose," Tim said with a smirk.

"And a man with nothing to lose has nothing to fear," Eli finished for him. He understood now. By framing him for this crime, Kort had made it so that Agent McGee no longer had any reason to hesitate. He couldn't go home now. He had all the time in the world to plot this man's downfall. "And you've come to me for what exactly. Asylum? I can give that to you, but not forever. If the US were to ever discover you were here, I'd have no choice but to hand you over to them," Eli told them.

"I understand that. I would never ask you to damage relations with my country. I don't want that anymore than you do. But I doubt anyone would ever find me here. I know how to disappear without being traced. I'm just asking for a little help here," Tim said. He had all the time in the world to dedicate to stopping Kort, but he didn't have access to the resources. He might have had better access if he hadn't been set up, but he was. He needed some help, and aside from Nate, he couldn't contact his team.

Eli thought about it for a minute. He did feel compelled to help. He understood what it meant to want to defend your country, and he knew what it meant to be betrayed by someone you should be able to trust. He understood where this man's fight came from. "Alright. You can stay here as long as you want and we'll help in any way we can, but I will turn you over if asked to by your government. I must put my country first in the end."

"I respect that, sir. Thank you," Tim said.

"I hope you have a plan," Eli said.

Tim smiled. "Oh, I do."